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FacultyEvidenceand

CommunicationsCommittees

ReporttotheBoardofTrustees

OntheStateofSaintLouisUniversity

December10,2012

Aboveall,trustintheslowworkofGod.

Weareimpatientofbeingonthewayto

somethingunknown,

somethingnew.

TeilharddeChardin

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ReporttotheBoardofTrustees

OntheStateofSaintLouisUniversity

December2012

EXECUTIVESUMMARY

1. Introduction: This report, drawing on the contributions ofmany faculty members, sets out tounderstand the current state of the institution and the conditions that underlie the recent

unprecedentedvotesofnoconfidenceinthePresidentandtheVicePresidentofAcademicAffairs.

2. Whatthevotesofnoconfidencereveal: Byacademictradition,thevotesarecallsfortheremovalof the officials involved. Those by the Senate were not the actions of a few but of official

representativesofthe900+facultyservingineveryschoolandcollegeoftheUniversity(exceptthe

Madridcampus,whichsentaletterofsupport).BeforethevoteonthePresident,senatorsreported

unitbyunitonthewidespreadfacultysupportforsuchadecisivemeasure.

3. NeedforimmediateactionbytheBoard:SurveysofacademicchairsinArtsandSciencesshowanalarmingnumberoffacultymanyofthemjuniorbutothersestablished,withsubstantialgrant

fundingwhoareseekingemploymentelsewherebecauseofthecurrentcrisis.Boardactionshowingseriousengagementinresolvingthecrisisatthetopmayhelptostaveoffdeparturesthat

willsettheUniversitybackinqualityandprominenceformanyyears.

4. MishandlingofUniversityfinances:UnderstandingtherecentproblemsoftheUniversityrequiresunderstandingitsfinances.Inkeyindicatorssuchasgrowthoftheendowment,alumnigiving,and

grantfunding,theUniversityhasdeclinedsothatitlagsbehindmanyofitsofficialpeerinstitutions.

5. Precipitousdropinnationalrankings :Inconsequenceofdecliningfundingforacademicprograms,SLUhasfalleninrankingscomparedwithpeeruniversities.Atatimewhentheadministrationhas

stressedthegoalofmovingintothetop50universitiesinthenation,SLUsrankingshaveinfact

droppedmorethanthoseofanyotherinstitutioninthetop100.

6.Failure to adequately support academics: Largely because President Biondi stresses real estatedevelopmentattheexpenseofacademics,fundingforstudents,faculty,andprogramshassuffered.

Many departmental operating budgetshave not increased for13years, thelibrary is chronically

underfunded, faculty salaries are at uncompetitive levelsand this despite healthy operating

surplusesfortheUniversity.Ourrecentdramaticdeclineinnationalrankingswillbereversedonly

by spendingmore onacademics rather than real estatedevelopmentandby returningdecisions

aboutacademicprogramingtothefaculty.

7. Impactsonstudents:Incomparisonwithourpeerinstitutions,weareextremelyhighinnetcosttostudents andbelow average in funding for academics.Not surprisingly, students struggle topay

theirbills,leadingtolowgraduationrates.Recentlydiscoveredstrategicplansindicateapushto

stresson-linecoursesandlargelecturesoverthesmalldiscussionclassesthatparentsexpectofan

expensive Jesuiteducation.A repressiveclimateoncampus,attacksonrespectedfaculty leaders,andconcernsaboutadropinthevalueofaSLUdegreehavealsohadseriousimpactsonstudents.

8. Presidents lack of full disclosure to the Board: The President has maintainedawall betweenTrustees,facultyandstudentsthathaspreventedcommunicationaboutproblemsthathavebeen

developingforyears. With respectto theUniversitysfinances, rankings,alumnigiving,andother

academicindicators,thepresentationthatthePresidentsenttofacultyandtheBoardonOctober

30 stresses data carefully selected to be favorable and ignores or minimizes information that

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indicatesseriousproblems. Iftypical,thepresentationisanindicationthattheBoardhasnotbeen

keptappropriatelyinformed.

9. UnprofessionalconductbythePresident: Inrecentappearancesbeforeseveralfacultygroupsandrepresentativesof thestaff, thePresident hasnamedprominentmembersof the faculty, calling

themliarsandsuggestingthattheSenaterejectedDr.Patankarandhisproposalsoutofracialor

religiousbias.

10. Improper centralization and a culture of secrecy: The administration has departed from bestpracticesat topAmericanuniversitiesbynotdisclosingthebylawsoftheBoardofTrustees.Ithas

also attempted to centralize evaluation and rewards for faculty rather than entrusting such

measurestochairsanddeanswhoknowtheirdisciplinesbest.Moregenerally,ithaspaidlipservice

to consultationwhile developing plans in secret,without the shared governance usual atmajor

researchinstitutions.Acaseinpointistherecentcutintheacquisitionsbudgetforthelibrary.

11. Inappropriate handlingofbuilding projects: DecisionstomovetheSchoolofPublicHealthand,more recently, theLawSchoolwereundertakenwithoutproperlyconsulting thefaculty.Thisand

otherprecipitousactionscontributedtotheangryandpublicresignationlastsummeroftheDeanof

theLawSchool.Constantacquisitionofpropertyandconstructionofinessentialprojectssuchasthe

HotelIgnacioarenotappropriatewhenSLUsacademicmissionisnotbeingappropriatelyfunded.

12.Faults in strategic planning: AlthougharecentlydiscoveredUniversityStrategicPlanwasneverapprovedbythefaculty,versionsofitseemtohavebeenapprovedbytheTrusteesandpresented

insecrecytotheUniversitysaccreditationbody,theHigherLearningCommission.Theplancontains

inembryotheproposalsofDr.Patankaronfacultyanddepartmentalevaluationthathaverecently

causedsuchcontroversy.ItalsolaysoutpotentiallyharmfulplanstochangethenatureofaSLU

educationtofavorlargelecturesandon-linecourses.

13.Violations of required procedures and contracts: Dr. Patankars proposals have often beendevelopedwithoutreferenceto thecontractualagreementscontainedin theFacultyManual.His

many violations of required procedure also include establishment of doctoral programs that he

favoredwithoutthenecessaryapprovaloftheBoardofGraduateStudies.

14.Dysfunctionin theOfficeof AcademicAffairs: Emphasisonplanningratherthanadministration,alongwiththeimpositionofburdensomereportingandapprovalprocessescentralizedinthehands

of the Vice President, have led to unprecedented delays in processing vital paperwork at the

University.TheimportantandpointlesslystallednewLatinoStudiesProgramisacaseinpoint.

15.ConclusionontheUniversitymission:Inalteringtherelationshipbetweentheupperadministrationandthefacultyandstudentsfromoneoftrustandsupporttooneofdisrespect,retribution,and

suppression,theUniversityhasdepartedfromtheJesuittraditionthatisthesourceofmuchofits

greatnessandhopeforthefuture.

SOURCESOFDATA

NumericaldatainthisreportcamefromtheDepartmentofEducationsNationalCenterforEducation

DataSystem,U.S.NewsandWorldReport,TheChronicleofHigherEducation,TheSaintLouisBusiness

Journal,andtheSaintLouisUniversityFactbook.

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REPORT

1.INTRODUCTION

ThereportbelowgrewoutofanattemptbyfacultyfromvariousschoolsandcollegesofSaintLouis

Universitytounderstandthecurrentstateofaninstitutionthatwelove.Manyhavecollaboratedinthe

effort, spending hundreds of hours researching, checking, and rechecking the facts in order to find

answerstothreefundamentalquestions:

WhyareournationalrankingsinU.S. News andWorld Reportdeclining rapidlywhen, by allaccounts, our students and our reputation have never been better and our faculty is at its

highestlevelofproductivityandnationalprominenceinmanyyears?

WhydoesitcostastudentmoretoattendSLUthanitdoestoattendpeerinstitutions,andwhyisourfundingforacademicslower,thoughnewbuildingprojectsneverlackforfunds?

And why has the higher administration recently departed so radically from administrativepracticesacceptedasnormsatthevirtuallyalltopU.S.researchuniversities?

BecausePresidentBiondiandVicePresidentPatankarkeepuniversityfinancesandthebasisofmanyof

theirdecisionssecret,rarelyconsultingthefacultyinmeaningfulways,wecannotclaimtohavefound

alltheanswerstothesequestions.

Whatwehaveuncovered,however,isthenatureandextentofmanyoftheseriousproblemsthatface

theUniversityproblems that, in their aggregate, support the recent votes of no confidence in the

PresidentandVicePresident.

In our view, current conditions requiredecisive actions by the Board of Trustees at its December

meeting.Wedonotpresumetoknowwhatallthoseactionshouldbe,butiffacultyaretogaintrustin

theBoard,clearindicationsofseriousengagementwiththeproblemswefaceanddeterminationtoset

them right througha change inourtop leadership isessential. And it cannotwaitlong. Forreasons

spelled out below, careful deliberation about the crisis will need to be balanced with speed and

decisivenessiftheUniversityisnottosufferseriousharminthemonthsthatlieahead.

Wehopethat,basedonthejointstatementofinitialactionsbytheexecutivecommitteesoftheSenateand the Trustees on November 30, the two groups can agree on concrete steps to address the

universitysdifficulties,andthatrecommendationscanbebroughttothefullSenateforconsideration

inthenearfuture.

2.WHATTHEVOTESOFNOCONFIDENCEREVEAL

OverwhelmingvotesofnoconfidencesuchasthosetakenrecentlyatSLUareextremelyrareinU.S.

highereducation,andevenrareratJesuituniversities.Bytradition,theyareequivalenttocallingforthe

replacementoftheadministratorsinvolved.Followingnearlyunanimousvotesofnoconfidencebythe

FacultyCouncilofArtsandSciences,theFacultySenateoftheUniversityvotedonSeptember25(by50

to3)toaskthePresidenttoreplaceVPPantankar.OnOctober30(by51to4),theSenatecalledontheBoardofTrusteestoremovePresidentBiondi.

Thesewerenot the actionsof a disaffected few,norweretheyconfinedtoasinglecollege.Asthe

officiallysanctionedrepresentativebodyoftheentirefaculty,theSenateheardontherecordfromall

thelargestcollegesandschools.TheMadridcampus,whichisnotrepresentedbytheSenate,senta

letterofsupport.

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122%

89% 87%

66%62%

42%37%

7%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

120%

140%

DrexelUniversity

FordhamUniversity

UniversityofDenver

AmericanUniversity

MarquetteUniversity

UniversityofDayton

LoyolaUniversity

SaintLouisUniversity

EndowmentGrowth2000-2011

$600,000,000

$700,000,000

$800,000,000

$900,000,000

$1,000,000,000

$1,100,000,000

$1,200,000,000

2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010

Endowment(2012Dollars)

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$70,000,000

$80,000,000

$90,000,000

$100,000,000

$110,000,000

$120,000,000

$130,000,000

$140,000,000

$150,000,000

$160,000,000

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

TotalGrantsandGifts

SLU PeerAverage

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

FordhamUniversity

MarquetteUniveristy

UniversityofDayton

DrexelUniversity

SaintLouisUniversity

LoyolaUniversity

AmericanUniversity

UniversityofDenver

AlumniGivingRate(From2013USNewsBestColleges)

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5.THEUNIVERSITYSPRECIPITOUSDROPINNATIONALRANKINGS

Inconsequenceofdecliningfundingforacademicprograms,SLUhasfalleninrankingscomparedwith

peeruniversities.From2004to2013(theonlyyearsinwhichfiguresonthetop100institutionsare

available),U.S. News and World Report has lowered our rank from 78 to 92. At a time when the

administrationistoutingitsgoaltomoveintothetop50,SLUsplaceintherankingshasdroppedfaster

andfurtherthanthatofanyotherinstitutionin thetop100. IftheUniversitydoesnotchangecourseandbegintofocusonacademicsmoreandreal-estatedevelopmentless,wearenotonlyunlikelytorise

intothetop50,butwewillbeluckytostayinthetop100.

6.FAILURETOADEQUATELYSUPPORTACADEMICS

Althoughtheadministrationclaimsthat thesolutionto itsproblemswithnationalacademic rankings

lieswith its900+faculty,amore likelyexplanationsincethe facultyhas improveddramaticallyover

thelasttwodecadesisthattheproblemlieswiththetopleadershipoftheUniversity.

TheamountofmoneyspentonacademicsforeachstudentroseduringthefirstpartofthePresidents

tenure. Since 2000, however, it has dropped nearly 6% in constant dollars. Academic spending per

studentisoneofthemajorcomponentsinthecollegerankingsofU.S.NewsandWorldReport,andit

correlatescloselywithoverallranking.Whileourspendinghasbeenlevelingoffanddropping,ourpeers

haveconcentratedonacademicsmorethanwehave,allowingthemtosurpassusintherankings.

WithoutaccesstotheUniversitysfinances,wecannotprovideadetailedanalysisoftheflowoffundsto

particularnon-academicprojects.Whatisclear,however,isthattheAdministrationhasbeengivingthe

purchaseandconstructionoffacilitiesandbuildings priorityinwaysthataredebilitating:

Mostacademicdepartmentsareunderfunded,withoperatingbudgetsatorbelowtheir2000levels. Sinceuniversityenrolmenthas increasedbyapproximatelya third,departmentshave

beenforcedtodomorewithless.

Tuitionhasgoneupsteadily,thoughoutlaysperstudentatSLUhavefallen6%since2000whilethoseamongourpeershaveincreasedbyanaverageof19%.

76

78

80

8284

86

88

90

92

94

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

USNewsRanking

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Library acquisitions,amajor indicatorof theacademic qualityofauniversityandits faculty,haveforyearslaggedbehindthoseatthebestJesuituniversities.Overthepastdecade,library

spendingperstudenthasplummetedfromfarabovepeeraveragestowellbelowthem.

Faculty salariescurrently frozenrose just 1.7% in thepreceding twoyears,while averagesalariesfortopadministratorsshotup15%.Afteradjustmentforinflation,facultysalarieshave

fallen8.6%since2000,whilethoseforfacultyatourpeerinstitutionshaveincreasedby3.5%.

According to theChronicle of Higher Education, after adjusting for cost of living SLU faculty

salariesareinthebottom25%ofallU.S.universities.

Anditneednotbeso.Accordingtothe SaintLouisBusinessJournal,inthefiscalyearjustended,when

facultyandstaffwerecalledontoacceptafreezeinwagesandsalaries forthecomingyear,SLUhada

$41.7millionoperatingsurplus.Themarginofthatsurplussince2008hasrangedbetween5.5%and

9%.

Itisdifficulttounderstand,then,whySLUisnotspendingonacademicsanything likewhatitsofficial

peer institutionsdo.Weleadtheminnetcosttostudents;infact,amonguniversitiesofcomparable

sizeandkind,werank17thinthenationinthatstatistic.Yetourpeersspendtwotothreetimesasmuch

onacademicsperstudentaswedo.

If theAdministration were truly serious aboutmoving into the top 50, itwould change its funding

priorities,focusingonstudentsandfacultyinkeycategoriesthatdeterminetherankingsin U.S.News

andWorldReport.Theseincludegeneralfinancialresources,selectivity,andalumnigiving,buttheyalso

includea numberof academic indicators, including reputation, retention rates, graduation rates and

performance, class size, student-teacher ratios,and faculty salaries. In all these, adequateacademic

fundingistheissue,andinallofthem,weranklowamongourpeers.

$28,000

$29,000

$30,000

$31,000

$32,000

$33,000

$34,000

$35,000

$36,000

$37,000

2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010

AcademicSpendingPerStudent(2012

Dollars)

SLU PeerAverage

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AverageFacultySalary(2010-11)Among290NationalUniversities

Rank School Salary

17 WashingtonUniversity $115,29225 BostonCollege $110,740

28 NotreDame $108,060

31 Georgetown $107,60148 FordhamUniversity $103,253

71 AmericanUniversity $95,477

84 DrexelUniversity $90,982

101 LoyolaUniversity-Chicago $88,520124 MarquetteUniversity $84,605

147 UniversityofDenver $81,011172 SaintLouisUniversity $76,535

182 UniversityofDayton $74,879

700

800

900

1000

1100

1200

1300

2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

LibrarySpendingPerStudent(2012Dollars)

SLU PeerAverage

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7.IMPACTSONSTUDENTS

ThenetpriceofattendingSaintLouisUniversityishighinrelationtothatofmostofourpeers.Since

ourstudentscouldattendWashingtonUniversityforaboutthesamenetprice,andcouldenrollatNotre

Dame, Boston College, orGeorgetown for significantly less, it is not surprising thatmany leave the

University,asreflectedinourrelativelylowgraduationrates.

Ofevenmoreconcernistheupperadministrationsapparentintentiontotakemeasuresthatarelikely

tomakethesitutionworse.InasecretStrategicPlanforAcademicAffairsrecentlydiscoveredbythe

faculty,theAcademicVicePresidentsetsoutincentivesthatwouldreducethenumberofsmallclasses

andprivilegelecturecoursesoverthosetaughtbydiscussion.Theplanalsosetsagoalofincreasingon-

linecoursesto30%ofallofferings.Ifnationalstudiesofretentionareanyindication,suchtacticswould

makeaSLUeducationlesspersonal,moredistant,andsolesslikelytoretainstudents.Thedoubtthat

suchchangeswouldcastonthequalityoftheUniversitywouldalsodiminishthevalueofaSLUdegree.

Therepressiveclimatethathasbeencreatedisalsoaffectingstudents.Firingdepartmentchairsand

deanswhohavespokenoutoverthelastthreeyearshasdisruptedacademicprogramsandsetabad

exampleofthewayalargeorganizationsuchasauniversityshouldtreatitsmiddle-leveladministrators.

Dismissing facultycriticismwithoutgivingit a fairhearingasDr.Patankardid recently inaddressing

theStudentGovernmentAssociationandasFr.Biondihasdoneinhisvisitstovariousgroups,academic

departments,and schoolsbreedsdistrustwithin theuniversitycommunity andplacesstudents ina

cross-fire.

Withremarkableperceptiveness,however,ourstudentshavegonetheirownwayandformedtheirown

viewsof the current situation. Their concerns, as set forth in the report accompanying the Student

GovernmentAssociationsvoteofnoconfidenceinDr.PatankarandFr.Biondi,shouldbetakeninto

accountinanyappraisalofthepresentturmoiloncampusanditsprobablelong-termeffects.

$20,000

$22,000

$24,000

$26,000

$28,000

$30,000

$32,000

$34,000

NetPrice(2010-2011)

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8.PRESIDENTSLACKOFFULLDISCLOSURETOTHEBOARD

BystrictlylimitingaccesstotheTrustees,Fr.Biondihasarrangedthattheyhavevirtuallynoopportunity

to communicatewith faculty or students. As a result, the body legally chargedwith overseeing the

Universityhas,untilnow,hadno independentsourceofinformationabouttheseriousproblems that

wearefacing.

ThepresentationthatthePresidentsenttotheBoardonOctober30raisesconcernsabouthiscandorin

giving the Trustees a complete picture of the situation. With respect to the Universitys finances,rankings,andothervitaldata,theassessmentthathegivesisselectiveandmisleading.

Fr.BiondinoteswithpridethatSLUsendowmentgrew24.3%between2010and2011.Unlikeourpeer institutions, however, SLUs endowment hasnot recovered from thecrashof2008.

Institutionssuch asGeorgetown,BostonCollege,and Fordhamhave allmadeup theground

theylost.SLUhasnot.

President Biondi claims that SLUhasmoved up in eightdifferentmetrics in theU.S.Newsrankings. Themetricshecites,however, are not themain ones bywhichU.S.News actually

ranksuniversities.Moreover,thepresidentmisstatesSLUsrankforacademicreputation.We

arenot64thinthenationbut104

th.

ThePresidentpointsoutcorrectlythat86%ofSLUstudentsarereceivingfinancialaid.Themoretellingnumber,however,isthatSLUmeetsonly64%ofitsstudentsoverallneed,anumberthat

placesusnearthebottomofourpeerandaspirationalinstitutions.

The increase in operating revenue from $267 million in 1986 to $704 million in 2012 isimpressive,asistheexpansionofthestudentbodyfrom9,869to13,981inthesameperiod.

Whentakentogetherandadjustedfor inflation,however,thesefiguresactuallyshowan11%

declinein operating revenueper studentfor theperiod1986-2012. Inconstant 2012dollars,

SLUspent$57,099perstudentin1986butonly$50,354in2012.

60%

65%

70%

75%

80%

85%

GraduationRate(From2013USNewBestColleges)

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9.UNPROFESSIONALCONDUCTBYTHEPRESIDENT

InresponsetotherecentactionsoftheFacultyCouncilandSenate,thePresidenthasnotconducted

himself inwaysappropriate in a chief executive officer.As numerous witnesses canattest,duringa

seriesof recentvisitstotheDepartmentofSociologyandCriminalJustice,the SchoolofNursing, the

School for Professional Studies, and the Staff Advisory Committee, Fr. Biondi engaged in serious

misconduct:

Withoutexplanationor substantiation,PresidentBiondi identified distinguishedmembers ofthefacultyasliars.Theseincluded,amongothers,thePresidentoftheSenate,theDeanofArts

and Sciences, the Henle Endowed Chair of Philosophy, and the Chair of the Philosophy

Department. Two of those under public attack are Catholic priests. At any university,

ungrounded accusations of untruthfulness by a president are serious, since they attack the

credibilityessentialtoeffectiveteaching,research,anduniversityservice.Atourownuniversity,

thegravityofsuchmisconductisevengreater,sinceSLUhasasitsJesuitmissionthepursuitof

truthtothegreatergloryofGodandfortheserviceofhumanity.

Inseveralforums,Fr.BiondialsosuggestedthattheFacultySenateactedagainstDr.Patankaroutofracialorreligiousbias,seeinghim,inthePresidentswords,asnotoneofus.Inmaking

thisslanderouschargeagainstsomesixtyrespectedrepresentativesofthefaculty,thePresident

offerednoevidence.

10.IMPROPERCENTRALIZATIONANDCULTUREOFSECRECY

SincethePresidenthaskeptsecretthe BylawsoftheBoardofTrustees,wedonotknowtheobligations

of thehigheradministration totheTrusteesor theprecise natureof theauthority that theTrustees

exerciseovertheadministration.NocopyoftheBylawshasbeenpublishedsince1985.

Since,however,thevotesofnoconfidencenowcallforcollectiveactiongovernedbythoseBylaws,they

are asmaterial totheleadershipof the FacultySenate asto the Board. It isimportant toknow, forexample, whether the Bylaws allow the Board right of removal of the Vice President of Academic

Affairs.Thoseof1985allowsuchaction,butsincethen,theremayhavebeenamendments. Itisvital

thattheBoardofTrusteescommunicatethebylawstotheFacultySenatebeforefurtheractionsare

taken.

Moregenerally,centralizationandsecrecyextendingwellbeyondtheusualpracticesofmajorresearch

universitiescharacterize thecurrenthigheradministration at SLU. Dr.Patankarhasa long historyof

ignoring faculty views, planning major changes to the University in secret, then presenting them

suddenly,withlittletimetorespond.

Themostnotablerecentexampleishisill-conceivedproposalsonfacultyevaluationandtenure,which

thedeans,FacultySenaterepresentatives,and theotherVicePresidentsforcedhimtowithdrawata

meetingonSeptember14.Itisnotable,however,thatheandthePresidentwereamongaminoritywho

continuedtosupportthematthemeeting,votingagainstthelargemajoritythatrejectedthem.

TheinitialreleaseoftheproposalsinAugustcausedafirestormunlikeanythingseenatSLUindecades,

not only because they abolished tenure but also because they established a single, unwise and

unworkablepointsystem forevaluatingfacultyacrossallschoolsof theUniversity.Theissuewasnot

faculty evaluation, which has long been mandatory every year, or even removal of faculty for

underperformance,which isallowedundertheFacultyManual.The issuewastakingpowertoassess

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facultyperformanceawayfromchairsanddeans,whoknowtheirdisciplines,andputtingitinthehands

oftheVicePresidentandPresident,whodont.

Sincenoothermajorresearchuniversityinthecountryoperatesinthisway, topfacultyarelesslikely

tocomehere, andthebest currentfaculty aremore likely to leave.Nodoctor,lawyer, engineer, or

otherprofessionalinoutsidepracticewouldacceptsuchsecondguessingfromadministratorswholack

theexpertisetoevaluatethepersonswork.

Sharedgovernancerecognizesthatfacultymembersbecauseoftheirdisciplinaryknowledge,graspof

professionalstandards,anddirectinvolvementinteachingandresearcharethepeoplebestsuitedto

makedecisionsrelatedtomostacademicfunctionsoftheinstitution.Traditionally,theadministrationin

topAmericanuniversitiesbuildsbuildings,recruitsandenrollsstudents,raisesfunds,andhandlesother

supportfunctionsforthefaculty.TheAdministrationisnotthemaster,buttheservant.

UnderDr.Patankar,however,thatrelationshiphasbeenreversed.TheFacultyManualhaslargelybeen

ignored."Consultation"tendstomeancollectingfacultyviewsonlytoignoreoroverrulethem,oftenby

promulgating policy changes shortly before they are to go into effect. "Faculty representation"

increasinglymeansthatafewprofessorssitontemporarydecision-makingbodiesoutofsightofthe

restofthefaculty.CommunicationbetweenthefacultyandtheBoardofTrusteesistightlyrestricted

tothepointthat, inthecurrentcrisis,few faculty even knowwho theBoardmembersareorwhat

responsibilitiestheyhavetowardtheUniversity.

ThePresidentsabrasivestyleandfrequentfiringofmembersofthehigheradministrationhasmadeit

difficultfordeanstospeakopenlyaboutacademicproblems.Ithasalsoledtoconstant administrative

turnover,whichmakesplanningandimplementationofacademicprogramsdifficult.Since2004,there

havebeen5deansinPublicService,5inParksCollege,4intheLawSchool,4inPublicHealth,4inArts

andSciences,and3eachinPhilosophyandLettersandattheSLUcampusinMadrid.Combinedwith

disregardforsharedgovernance,suchturnoverinacademicdeanshasledtocentralizationofacademic

decisionsinthehandsofDr.PatankarandthePresident,oftenwithdamagingresults.

TherecentreductionoftheLibrarybudgetby10%isa caseinpoint.Studentsandfacultyrelyonthe

electronicandprintresourcesofthelibrarymorethanonanyothersinglesourceofresearch,analysis,information, creative work, and reflection. Since great universities have great libraries, faculty

recruitmentisoftenaffectedbytheresourcesavailableinPiusLibrary.

YetinlateJune2012,justasthenewfiscalyearwasabouttobegin,Dr.Patankarannounceddebilitating

cutstotheacquisitionsbudgetofthelibraryandaplantoincorporatethefacilityintoanew Schoolof

Informaticswiththeintentionofbringingintuitionfromit.Hedidsowithoutreviewordeliberationby

the library staff or the faculty at large, and without offering any justification. Had there been

consultation,librariansmighthavepreparedplanstodealwithongoingsubscriptionstoprintandonline

resources,and facultymight havewarned himof thefolly of taking a shared research resource and

attemptingtomakeitpartofaprofit-makingunit.

11.INAPPROPRIATEHANDLINGOFBUILDINGPROJECTS

Asthehighlypublicexchangeofangryletterssurroundingtheresignationlastsummerof theDeanof

the Law School revealed, Fr. Biondis plan tomove the school downtownwas carried out without

appropriateconsultationwiththedeanorthefaculty.

A similarlyheavy-handed decisionwasmadepreviously inmoving theSchool of PublicHealthaway

fromunitsthatithadlongcollaboratedwith,includingBusinessandLaw.Thoughprovidingspacefora

growinguniversityischallenging,tomakeprecipitousmoveswithoutproperconsultationandallowance

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for thevital needs of affectedprograms isbadmanagement.Foranadministration that says that it

prizescollaborationacrossdisciplinarylines,itisinexplicable.

12.FAULTSINSTRATEGICPLANNING

The reason that the President proposed his now defunct Blue Ribbon Committee was, in part, toimplement an ill-conceived University Strategic Plan. Although such a document was apparently

approvedbytheBoardinDecember2011andpresentedinMarch2012totheUniversitysaccrediting

agency,theHigherLearningCommission,itwaskeptsecretatthattimeinalockedroom.Facultyand

studentshavestillnotbeenallowedtoseeitinfinalform,thoughearlydraftshavebeendiscoveredand

circulated.

The plan was never submitted to faculty for approval, though parts of it were discussed without

disclosurethattheywerepartofa finalstrategicplan.Asdiscussedabove,theplanshowslackof the

mostbasicunderstandingofJesuiteducationandthestepsneededtoriseinnationalstature.Italso

contains in embryonic form the evaluation systems used to close departments last year and the

controversialfacultyevaluationandtenureproposalshastilywithdrawnbyDr.Patankarthisfall.

13.VIOLATIONSOFREQUIREDPROCEDURESANDCONTRACTS

WhileDr.PatankarwasstillaninterimProvostin2009-10,hegainedapprovalfromtheTrusteesfornew

doctoralprogramsthathefavored,althoughtheynotbeensubmittedtotheBoardofGraduateStudies,

asrequired.

Throughouthistenure,theVicePresidenthasrepeatedlyandseriouslyviolated theFacultyManual,a

bindingcontractbetweentheAdministrationandthefaculty.Hedidthismostseriouslybyundertaking

planningwithoutthesortoffacultyconsultationrequired.Notableexamplesare

Asecretlydevelopedandquicklydiscreditedstrategicplanin2009-10 TheevaluationstandardsusedtoclosetheDepartmentsofPublicPolicyStudiesandCounselingandFamilyTherapyin2011-12 ThesecretUniversityStrategicplanof2011-12 Theproposalsonfacultyevaluationthatsparkedthecurrentcrisis.

14.DYSFUNCTIONINTHEOFFICEOFTHEVICEPRESIDENT

Apracticalresultofrecentover-centralizationisthat,underVPPatankar, routinedecision-makinghas

becomeslowandinefficient.Approvalstohirenewfaculty,sendoutannualpersonnelcontracts,grant

sabbaticalsandleaves,approveforeigntravel,andsignoffongrantproposalsaredelayedfarlonger

thanunderpreviousadministrations.

AnotableexampleisthenewLatinoStudiesProgram.Developedoverthelasttwoyearstoservethe

growing Hispanic population of the U.S., which has a Catholic heritage and tends to hold Jesuit

educationinhighregard,theinitiativewasapprovedlastspringbyallthenecessarycommittees.More

thanhalfayearlater,however,ithasstillnotbeenattendedtoorsignedbyDr.Patankar.

Newly imposed and cumbersome on-line systems to handle activity data on the faculty and staff,

prepare their annual evaluations, and reimburse them for travel have contributed to delays and

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frustration.Sincethesystemsarecomplex,laborintensive,andslow,theyprovidecentralizedoversight

attheexpenseofefficiency.

15.CONCLUSIONONTHEUNIVERSITYMISSION

BeforethePresidentbegantoseekunprecedentedcontroloveracademicsattheUniversity,andbeforeDr. Patankar joined the higher administration, SLU faculty were regarded as valued and trusted

professionalsintheirfields,companionsintheJesuitmission toseekthetruth,educate,andserve.

For years, professors have put up with underfunding for academics and overemphasis on building

projects because they love what the University stands for: personalized teaching and mentoring of

students,careforthepoorandmarginalized,andconcernforthegoodofsocietyandthegreaterglory

ofGod.

SinceFatherBiondiappointedDr.PatankarasVPAA, theVicePresidentslowregardforconsultation,hisunwise centralization of authority, and his establishment of impersonalmanagement systems have

changedallthat.Anow-iconicphotographofastudentholdingasignduringarecentprotestsuggests

thedepthofthebacklash.ItreadsDisrespected,disdained,anddevaluedNOMORE.

Facultyprepareforanaverageof7-8yearstoreceiveaPh.D.,vieforpositionsinhighlycompetitive

nationalsearches,andareonsupervisedprobationforanother5yearsbeforetheyreceivetenure.They

generallyundergothe rigorsoflongpreparationoutofaloveoflearningandteaching.

ToaskthemtodotheirworkforpointsinanumericevaluationschemeofthesortfavoredbyDr.

Patankaristomisunderstandtheextentoftheirdedicationandthedepthoftheircommitmenttothe

Universitysmission.Totreatcompanionsinagreatandexcitingworkasemployeesinneedof

burdensomemonitoringmechanismsandcrassincentivessuchasgiftcards,asrecentlyproposed,isto

demeanthemandtheentireinstitution.

Unthinkableas itmay seemata Jesuit university,96%ofthemore than260 facultywho answered

surveys in theCollege ofArts andSciences this fallreporteda climate of fearon campus,and82%

expectedretributioniftheydaredtospeakout.

In such a climate, and with so many instances of serious misadministration weighing against Dr.

PatankarandFr.Biondi,itisdifficulttoseehowtheycancontinueintheirpositionslongerthanittakes

tofindinterimleadersandbeginanorderlytransition.Asadistinguishedfacultymemberrecentlyput

it,youcanforceauniversityintosubmission,butyoucannotforceitintogreatness. Whatisneeded

nowisafreshstart,arenewalatthetop,inwhichleadersworkcloselyandcreativelywithfacultyto

expandknowledge,servetheneedy,andeducatetheyoung inthefinesttraditionof Jesuiteducation

RespectfullysubmittedbytheFacultyEvidenceand

CommunicationsCommittees